uncanny

 

last day of zoom teaching

 

larkspur, day lilies, and yellow roses

 

thank mawd for awesome friends and co-teachers

 

I had an awful, awful, asthma attack last night. I woke up suddenly and immediately went into an asthmatic episode. This happens a lot when adrenaline makes an appearance in my body. It can happen during exercise, or surprise even. When it does, it is sudden and fierce. The first hit of the inhaler doesn't really do anything so I hit it again hoping the first one opened up my airway enough for the second hit to work. My head has the most intense headache feeling in it and I feel epically awful. It's maybe one or two in the morning and the mister is on the couch (aka insomnia man). I wander out to get a drink of water and practice some breathing but my head hurts too much. I remove my retainers and eat a spoonful of apple sauce and a piece of leftover roast so I can take some painkillers without nausea but the headache pain is so intense I think the nausea became a squatter and just won't leave. I stumble back into the bedroom and take another hit of the inhaler but then I cough and suddenly my body is in PAIN. I can't stand up as the floor decides to tilt, and there is a burning sensation in my fingers and my body just feels awful. I can't describe it but it is misery and I kinda tip over onto the bed and am pretty certain I am going to die as I think it would be a relief from what I am feeling right now which I can't really describe other than awful, awfulness. I whimper and try to do my breathing exercise and who knows how much time has passed. 

When I can stand up again, I wander back out to the living room but I have to hold onto the walls, chairs, and counters. I wake the mister up and ask him to grab me more pillows. He is discombobulated and slightly annoyed but gets them for me and helps me back to bed. Now he is worried. He feels my forehead, no fever. Looks at my eyes, pupils are fine. He gets me some water and sets up the pillows so I can sit up and he sits with me until I fall asleep again. When I wake up, it is maybe six in the morning and I feel like I was run over by a herd of elephants. I look like I have aged a decade and I feel hungover even though I'm not really sure what that feels like. Kinda like I'm a dry husk of myself. fun times. 

I have to teach a class in a few hours on zoom and I just cannot recover in time so I contact my old co-teacher and she steps in gladly as she misses the children as much as I do. I had to set up the meeting so I put my picture up and two of my students thought my screen had frozen up and golly I adore these kiddos and my co-teacher so freaking much at this moment and this is a very long post to say asthma is awful and thank mawd for friends. 

making flower paint

 

You need all the flower petals. ALL the flower petals. I went through the garden to see what I could find. Our yellow rose was dropping petals left and right, so I grabbed those along with nasturtium, and red rose petals. Shoved them into their own jars, smooshed them up and pour boiling water over them. Muddled some more and let them steep. The adorable wee jars are Beech's baby food jars, and Oui yogurt jars. 

Some of the first batch didn't really come out so I doubled down and used MORE petals. 

 The cool grey color here is from yellow day lilies! How cool. I may have experimented with salt and baking soda as well. I can't remember which had which. The colors are so pretty! 

The bottom picture is of how the colors looked when I added flour to the jars. Not really that much different. This was fun. I need to try it again! 

I would never make it as a filmmaker

 

Planning, prepping, filming, and editing learning content is EXHAUSTING. I also have school supplies all over the house. It's a mess! I would never make it as a filmmaker. Having to BE on camera is also not my favorite thing. I need hair and makeup, people! And the camera really does put on thirty pounds. Zoinks! I don't do retakes though as like I said, it is exhausting. So ya get what ya get and if I worked at a public school I would share it with ya but I don't so I can't but really, you're not missing anything. 

Trying to film videos for school is even more difficult when you have to wait until your partner is done with their work meetings. We only have the one big room, and mr. a-go-go seems to have multiple meetings throughout the day, every day. Sigh. The only place for me to make the videos is at the kitchen table and I need the light to be right so I have to film just before dinner which means I am smooshing crayons and glass gems, and fiddly bits out of the way and they somehow end up everywhere. So, today I tried to make a video outside and the cat kept interrupting so instead I am eating my current favorite cereal outside instead because apparently I make too much noise when I am eating it and the mister glares at me over the computer the whole time. 

zoom classroom busyness

 

Well, that was a fun meeting! We read three books, wrapped yarn around sticks, shared our yarn star projects, made galaxy jars, sang songs, and played moon rock basketball. We were zooming for over AN HOUR! Not too shabby for hanging out with ten three and four year olds via zoom. I found that if I make it the "jek show" and don't take any breaths we can keep going without the goifness that is prone to happen with the preschool set. 

I've heard so much about teachers having to do long meetings of house tours, etc. but my class never did that. We began our first meeting with a LOT of hellos and I asked the children to each bring an item to share. we focused on "Tell me three things" about their items and we counted out each one and moved on to the next child. I had the parents set out play dough before the call so the children had something to do if they were camera shy. I do have one sweet friend who has to be far far away from the camera to feel comfortable. I make sure to tell my parents that if they have an opportunity to be outside, be outside. I can do a solo zoom with their kiddo for a song if they need it. So far, it's all working out. 

another day, another day in the life of a preschool teacher

 

Zoom call session. 

Video making. Can you guess what we're exploring? 

teacher life: eggshells and salamanders

 

Because, why not? 

teacher life

 

I put together a curriculum bag for the next three weeks. I work at a private school and we're all pretty local to each other. Popped the bags on the porch and let the parents know they could come get them for a contactless but visible (for the kiddos) pick up. Lookie me, I'm a teacher with curbside pick-up! One parent brought me coffee, another brought me a scone, while another brought me a self-portrait and flowers from her kiddo. Man, I love these families! I miss my classroom kiddos so freaking much there are tears (mine). I've said it before, and I'll say it again, what preschoolers need cannot be taught digitally and I am so sad for this. In the end, I know they will be fine, children are so flexible really, look at me, I turned out fairly ok. I spend a lot of time on the phone with my parents, calling, emailing, and texting to help through various questions and concerns. I've done video chats with my kiddos, and sent along quick videos of me singing songs on requests. I've spent hours reassuring parents that they are supported and they will be fine and their children are good, and maybe set up a routine at home that mirrors school, and who cares if you make the zoom call, go outside instead, blow bubbles, have dance parties, sleep in, read more books, and here's a link of me reading books. We can do this. 

Have I told you how much I miss them? 

my many colored days...

I did not arrange the chalk...love how she chose to arrange them...